The Bedeviled Heart (The Highland Heather and Hearts Scottish Romance Series) (15 page)

Suppressing a sigh, she looked longingly out the window, but it was dark, and she couldn’t see a thing.

A sharp knock on the door startled them both.

Kate ran to open it and discovered two lads standing before a wooden chest, with another boy holding a large red bundle of satin.

“Gifts from the earl to Lady Elsa and her maid, Kate,” one of them mumbled tiredly, dragging the chest inside before Kate gave him permission to enter.

The third lad thrust the satin bundle into her arms. “I was told to give this one to the wee maid named Kate.” He eyed her for a moment and stretched out his hand as if to snatch the bundle back. “Ye are Kate, aren’t ye?”

“Aye.” Kate frowned. She eyed the red satin, perplexed.

“What is this?” Lady Elsa rose gracefully to stand before the chest. “Open it, Kate.”

As the lads scampered out of the chamber, Kate set her bundle aside, knelt in front of the chest and lifted the lid.

The delicate scent of lemons escaped into the air as the firelight cast a warm glow over the shimmering contents.

With a cry of astonishment and a little clap of her hands, Lady Elsa sank on her knees before the chest. Lifting an exquisite gown of garnet-colored satin, she gasped, “This is the finest Spanish lace! And this hooded mantle—I’ve never seen such fine stitching!”

There were gowns of satin, velvet, and fine wool, several mantles, and silken slippers. Lady Elsa exclaimed softly over each one, until finally emptying the chest, she sat back and sighed. “Oh, Kate, the yarrow is already working!”

Kate smiled, amazed at the treasures in the chest, but less inclined to give credit to the yarrow. “Your protector is very kind, my lady.”

“And generous!” Lady Elsa pointed to the satin bundle. “Do open yours!”

Kate didn’t need to be told twice. Excited, she untied the ribbon and caught her breath to see a gown of rich green silk, another of blue wool, trimmed with gold braid, and one of yellow velvet edged with fine lace. Under the gowns, she found a soft mantle of black wool and a finely made pair of leather shoes.

“Surely, there must be a mistake.” Kate drew back with a frown. “These are much too fine for me.”

“No, the earl is most kind.” Lady Elsa smiled, though she appeared quite surprised herself. “He even wishes my maid to be finely dressed! You must change at once, Kate. Your brown dress is truly not fitting for my company.”

Feeling strangely shy, Kate selected the green silk and retired to the corner, quickly shrugging out of Maura’s brown dress. To her utmost surprise, the dress was the correct length, and the shoes fit perfectly.

Lady Elsa had returned to her needlework, daintily adjusting her skirts, but looked up to smile as Kate reappeared in the new gown. “’Tis a fine gown, Kate. I will wear the garnet satin on the morrow for Albany and Mar’s welcome feast. I must look my best when I thank the earl for his fine gifts. You will attend me.”

“Aye, my lady.” Kate dipped a curtsey.

The silence in the chamber resumed as Lady Elsa once more focused on her needlework, but this time with a private smile playing upon her lips.

At first, the green silk and the shoes kept Kate occupied. She had never touched such fine material, and the shoes made her feel as if she walked on clouds. Her good fortune was astounding.

She couldn’t wait to show her father, but the thought that he couldn’t see the colors dampened her mood. She clenched her fingers into a fist. If only she could get the water from the Pilgrim’s Well. She did not believe in magic, but perhaps the water had properties yet unknown that would cure her father’s eyes. There was little harm in trying.

The evening progressed and the moon rose. And as sounds of laughter and music filtered through the window, Kate once again couldn’t resist the temptation to inch closer in order to hear the beautiful melodies.

“The musicians are from Spain,” Lady Elsa informed her quietly from the fire. “They play to welcome the king’s aunt.”

Kate jumped guiltily and returned at once to the foot of the bed. “The music is lovely, my lady. I’ve not heard the like before.”

“Aye, they are most accomplished, but I’m sure Princess Annabella is greatly displeased. Even Albany and Mar fear the woman!” Lady Elsa rose to her feet, hiding a yawn behind her fluttering fingers. “I will retire now, but you may step outside and listen to the music, Kate. Just stay within hearing, so I may call out for you if I desire.”

“Oh! How kind of ye, my lady!” Kate’s eyes sparkled in excitement. “I swear ye must be the most generous lady in the castle!”

“Thank you, Kate.” She smiled in return, and then her eyes clouded. “I am but a poor lady, so poor that the others here scarcely speak to me. I’m really no different than you.”

In short order, Lady Elsa was ensconced in her curtained feather bed, and Kate carefully folded her dress, laying it on top of the new ones in the wooden chest.

After banking the fire with ashes, she carefully tiptoed out of the chamber, leaving the door open a crack. She moved closer to the music, to a window overlooking the courtyard and leaned forward, resting her head against the cold, gray stones.

The lively tune reminded her of days gone by, fishing on the lochs with her father, and her wee sister, Joan. She sighed softly, lost in memories, and losing track of time until she gradually became aware of two tall figures standing in the darkness of the courtyard below.

They stood close, heads bowed, as if whispering to each other, and then one stepped back and laughed a deep, rich sound that sounded very much like Cameron’s laugh.

Curious, she craned out of the window.

The men moved across the courtyard, pausing under the flickering light of a torch, and her heart leapt into her throat.

There was no mistaking him.

It
was
Cameron!

He stood in the dim light, speaking with the fair-haired man from the Brass Unicorn. The man he had called Julian.

She watched in horror.

Surely, he was not half-witted enough to steal from nobles?

They would hang him straightway!

Praying that Lady Elsa still slept, Kate flew down the stairwell and out into the courtyard, arriving to see both men entering a side door to the royal apartments.

She hesitated for only a moment.

Angrily cursing Cameron under her breath, she darted past the guards, expecting them to stop her. She was astonished when they didn’t, but she had little time to ponder the matter as she entered the royal apartments.

Torches flickered in their wall sconces lining the narrow corridor, shedding a soft light on the tapestries covering the cold stones. She could barely make out the dim forms of Cameron and his companion moving slowly ahead of her, heads bowed and murmuring in quiet voices.

Ach, Cameron was a fool! Did he not care one whit about keeping his head? He wasn’t even looking around to see if he had been followed! Angrily, she wondered if he even cared one whit about
her
and how
she
felt!

Aye, she was going to take him to task!

From somewhere behind her, a door slammed, and at the sound of approaching feet, she panicked.

Ach, she couldn’t see the man get caught, no matter how angry she was at him.

Picking up her skirts, she flew down the passageway. Catching up to them, she threw open the nearest door, grabbed Cameron’s arm as he whirled in surprise, and yanked him through it.

As an afterthought, she reached back and pulled his companion in for good measure.

She slammed the door shut, leaning against it and breathing heavily as she quickly glanced about the dimly lit chamber. She was relieved to find it empty.

“Kate! What—” Cameron began but she cut him short with an angry frown.

“Hush!” She nodded her chin at the sound of footsteps outside the door. Lifting a finger to her lips, she glared at them both to remain silent.

Cameron towered over her with an expression she could not interpret as his companion, Julian, slouched against the wall, folded his arms, and slowly began to grin.

When the passageway was quiet once more, she placed her hands on her hips and hissed, “What are ye doing, ye fools? Can ye not know ‘tis dangerous here for the likes of ye?”

Cameron’s lips thinned.

Julian’s grin widened.

At that, Cameron graced the man with a dark glare of disapproval.

“’
Tis not a jest!” Kate snapped at the fair-haired man. “Ye could both lose your heads, ye lout!”

“Lout?” Julian snorted in outright amusement. “Are ye naming me a lout?”

“Aye, but ‘tis plainly too fine a name for ye!” she retorted fiercely. This man was clearly a bad influence on Cameron. Cameron had said he was a friend, but what kind of friend would incite another to thieve at the castle? “Why canna ye leave Cameron be? Surely ye can find others to corrupt! Let him free from your band of outlaws, ye onion-eyed varlet!”

Julian blinked and then threw back his head and laughed.

“Enough, Julian,” Cameron warned grimly.

As Kate watched, the fair-haired man bent down and planted his face inches from hers. Ach, he was a wickedly handsome man. She’d never really looked at him before. His beautiful, long-lashed eyes locked on hers with an open gleam of interest.

“My wee, bonny Kate.” He grinned with a roguish lift of his brow. “I swear I’m half tempted to court ye myself!”

“’
Tis enough, Julian!” Cameron warned again.

Kate lifted her chin and answered truthfully, “I’ve no interest in ye, man!” Aye, he was a braw man, but nothing compared to the seductively dark Cameron standing at his side.

“Ach, but Cameron’s a possessive lover—” Julian began in a light, mocking tone.

“Julian, be gone,” Cameron interrupted sternly.

With a shrug, Julian lazily dropped an arm about her shoulders and bent his fair head to kiss her on the cheek. It was a brotherly kiss. “Then as ye wished, sweet Kate, this onion-eyed varlet will take his leave.”

With a mischievous wink, he slipped through the door and shut it quietly.

“Will he be safe?” Kate whispered anxiously, suddenly torn with concern. “’Tis dangerous here, and though he is an unsavory character, I’d wish him no harm!”

“There is no cause to fret, Kate,” Cameron reassured in a strained tone.

He stood close, swathed in a dark, finely made cape with a silver brooch at his throat. She eyed it in consternation, and her anger returned full force. “I swear ye’ll drive me to an early grave, Cameron! Did ye come for the brooch? Put it back, man! I canna bear the thought of ye losing your head—”

He moved suddenly and his elegantly long fingers grasped her by the shoulders. “I’m not a thief, Kate!” he swore.

She frowned in confusion. “We canna speak here! If we’re caught—”

“We are safe in these apartments!” His strong jaw clenched and his dark brows furrowed into a line. “These rooms … are … not used. No one will look here. We’re safe, lass.” He seemed to have difficulty speaking.

Kate glanced around, taking a closer look this time. The room was dark, illuminated only by the dying fire, but she could see enough to discover it was a finely furnished one, so fine that she’d never seen the like.

Suddenly, she turned white. “Ach, ye fool! We must be in the king’s own rooms! Look at the tapestries on the wall, and there is even a rug on the floor! We’ll hang—”

“Kate, no one will come here this night. I swear upon my life’s blood that we are safe, lass!” There was something odd about his voice, and he almost looked ill.

But their safety was her most pressing concern. “Are ye sure no one will come?” she asked. “How could ye know?”

For a moment, it appeared as if he would not answer, but then he replied in a voice so soft she scarcely heard it, “These apartments belong to the Earl of Lennox, and he is not here … at least … not … now.”

Kate sucked in her breath in shock and shivered. “The Dreaded Earl of Death?”

He winced. “I thought ye claimed the man as a lover! How can ye name him such a thing?”

“I told ye that I lied.” She frowned sourly. “I’ve never seen the man.”

Inexplicably, his lips curved upwards and his voice deepened. “Are ye sure of that, my sweeting? ‘Tis a fine dress ye wear this night, Kate.”